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[EMAIL] Semester Start Fall 2018

ETS would like to help you create a great start to the fall semester. Below is a quick list of things to do and to know before classes start to help you through the next couple of weeks.

To Do:

Review Classroom Tech and Equipment Checkout

Many Classrooms were updated over the summer. Review our Classrooms Database for a list of AV equipment installed in your General Assignment Classroom. Submit a request for a classroom AV orientation or drop by the Academic Innovation Studio, Dwinelle 117 (D Level). Need additional equipment to support your teaching? We may have what you need. Available equipment includes: HD video cameras and tripods, Blu-ray and region-free DVD players, USB webcams, and portable projectors. Please submit a request. Once a request is confirmed, equipment can be picked up from the Academic Innovation Studio, Dwinelle 117 (D Level).Submit Course Capture Reservations Instructors of Record sign-up for Course Capture today! Instructors teaching in a Course Capture enabled room have been sent email invitations. To sign-up, please follow the personalized link within the email. If you are in a course capture enabled room and haven’t received your email, please contact: coursecapture@berkeley.edu.

Wheeler Auditorium and Pimentel Hall Instructors

If you are scheduled in Wheeler Auditorium or Pimentel Hall, you should have already received an email from the AV Point Person. Please reply to that email to schedule an orientation in these spaces.

Support

To Know:

Ally Tool Within bCourses Project

Campus is piloting a new tool to improve the accessibility of content in bCourses. Learn more about the project on the ETS Website, and join accessibility workshops and eventsthis fall in the AIS.

Additional Updates from bCourses

Grade Distribution Graphs now hidden by defaultPreviously in bCourses, the default settings allowed students to see anonymized grade distribution data (minimum, average, and maximum score) for Assignments. The bCourses team has modified these defaults, and in course sites created after June 1, 2018, the grade distribution graphs are now hidden from students by default. If you would like to make the grade distribution graphs visible to students, you can uncheck the “Hide grade distribution graphs from students” checkbox on your course settings page.

Section-specific Announcements, Discussions, and Assignments now available in bCoursesIn bCourses sites with multiple lecture and/or discussion sections, instructors and GSIs now have the ability to create Announcements and Discussions that are only displayed to students enrolled in designated sections. These options were released by the vendor in Spring/Summer 2018, and join the existing option for section-specific Assignments. For more information on using these features, please review the Canvas help guides for Assignments, Discussions, and Announcements.

Clickers

Are you an instructor planning to use the iClicker system this fall? If so, please take a look at our News article, which has information about the following:

How to get started with the iClicker system

The latest version of iClicker Classic software, which has a few minor improvements.

The need for students to register clickers, even if they registered last academic year.

Our standard reminder to put in your order for clickers at the bookstore.

An update regarding mobile options for students.

Support options for you and your students.

A new mailing list you can join if you want to get updates about iClicker software and our Clickers service.

Moffitt Makerspace

The Moffitt Makerspace will continue to support classes using the makerspace this Fall. We are excited to be exploring and supporting more VR opportunities in academic courses. If you’re interested in holding a workshop or classes at the makerspace, please email

Request Instructional Computer Facilities

Would you like to teach in a computer facility? Would your students benefit from following along on their computers? Perhaps you have a software that your students may not have access to. Please see our website to learn more about using a computer facility or to place a reservation.

Berkeley Research Computing

Planning a class project that requires more computing power than your students’ laptops? Berkeley Research Computing can support your class with an instructional compute allocation. Email brc@berkeley.edu with a description of your project, and a domain consultant can help match you with the right resources.